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Upstate South Carolina real estate developer Ron Rallis – a central figure in the ‘Days of our Congressman’ scandal that has engulfed U.S. congressman William Timmons over the last year-and-a-half – has landed back in the news. And not in a good way.
What did Rallis do now?
The social media provocateur – who spent three months in jail earlier this year after being found in contempt of a Greenville family court – posted a series of uncouth Halloween-themed pictures with his young daughter that have sparked revulsion across the socially conservative Upstate region of South Carolina.
“I may have dropped the soap for ninety days but we all know congressman Timmons takes it in the face all day every day,” Rallis wrote on his popular Church Greenville Instagram account, accompanying his barb with an eggplant emoji and a clown face.
One of the accompanying pictures of Rallis – decked out in a form-fitting prison onesie with a green bar of green soap in his hand – included his three-year-old daughter.
Take a look …
(Click to View)
(Via: Church Greenville/ Instagram)
A third picture – which this news outlet is declining to publish – featured Rallis’ daughter apparently urinating on the street while trick-or-treating with a heart emoji covering up her private parts.
Yeah … what in the hell?
“Terribly bad judgement,” one of Rallis’ longtime friends and allies said, referring to the inclusion of his daughter in these pictures. “Just seems like a terrible thing to encourage, and horrifically embarrassing to share.”
I concur …
Rallis can’t help himself, though. His willingness – and adeptness – when it comes to pushing boundaries has long been a driving force in the Timmons’ saga. Not unlike Timmons’ own ill-advised meddling in the matter.
To recap: Timmons initiated his own sex scandal last spring via an unsolicited “prayers and privacy” statement provided to this media outlet in response to rumors of his affair with a self-styled socialite, Paula Dhier. As I’ve often noted, this news outlet did not request a statement from Timmons regarding his mistress and had not indicated we had any plans to cover their tryst. In fact, FITSNews generally eschews reporting on affairs unless they involve misspent tax dollars, abuse of office, attendant criminality or some glaring, over-the-top hypocrisy on the part of the elected official in question.
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The apparent goal of Timmons’ preemptive statement? Exposing his affair with Dhier so he could torpedo his marriage, sources familiar with the situation say. The congressman quickly lost control of the narrative, though, and shortly thereafter saw it escape completely from his grasp.
The reason? Rallis.
Last summer, the wealthy developer walked into a West End Greenville church he had previously purchased – and painted pink – and gave this news outlet an exclusive interview regarding his starring role in the Timmons’ sex scandal. As television crews gathered outside, Rallis spoke passionately about his battle for custody of his daughter with Dhier.
Rallis has been so effective at ginning up attention that producers of the Bravo TV reality show Southern Charm offered him a spot on their program – which he declined.
Dhier’s affair with Timmons reportedly began in 2021 when she was living off-and-on with various members of the Timmons family – including the congressman and his ex-wife, Sarah Timmons. Dhier and Sarah Timmons were longtime friends – “best friends” of more than seven years, in fact – according to multiple sources familiar with the status of their relationship. The Timmons jointly announced their separation last fall. Rallis and Dhier reached a settlement in their high-profile divorce and custody case this summer.
Both court files are sealed.
Rallis has hinted that he will mount a congressional campaign next year in the hopes of further complicating life for Timmons, however it is not immediately clear whether he will follow through on those plans.
What is clear? The man is, to quote the late Charlie Murphy, a “habitual line-stepper.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven (soon to be eight) children.
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1 comment
There were a total of 10 photos in his post, and the ones that you didn’t cover were happy children trick or treating, and laughing friends and neighbors enjoying Halloween. There were 400+ “likes” and not a single negative comment. Give the guy a break.